Geek gifts with local links

Published 4:35 pm, Monday, November 26, 2012

Want to give the gift of geek this holiday season? Think beyond global yet still local. You'd be surprised what science fiction and fantasy properties bear strong ties to San Antonio. Here are a few gift ideas from out-of-this-world franchises by Alamo City talent.

He's slain vampires and movie critics alike, so why not conquer time itself? In this steampunk comic book adventure, Abraham Lincoln zigzags across time to thump villains like Void Stalin and Apocalypse Mao with the help of Albert Einstein and other luminaries in history. “Fate of the Union” collects the five “Time Lincoln” comics by local writer/artist Fred Perry and local publisher Antarctic Press. Never look at Mount Rushmore or Daniel Day-Lewis the same way again.

“Adventure Time” creator Pendleton Ward grew up in San Antonio quite the Dungeons & Dragons nerd. Now his hit Cartoon Network series boasts enough toys and tie-ins to fill a D&D bag of holding. Introduce that special someone to animated heroes Finn and Jake in the Land of Ooo with “Adventure Time: The Complete First Season” on DVD ($26.95). And spread the algebraic love with goodies like collectible figures (prices vary) and the Nintendo 3DS/DS video game “Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!!” ($29.95).

Zombie Dash ($25, shadowfist.com/store)

This board game couldn't be more dead simple: Outrun the undead until you're the first to the finish or the last living man standing. San Antonio's Peter Trudell developed this fast-paced Candy Land with corpses as a party game for all ages. Zombie Dash's art and sensibility favor the cartoonish video game “Plants vs. Zombies,” with just a hint of “The Walking Dead” edginess minus the gore.

“Firefly: The Complete Series” (prices vary)

Summer Glau turned heads as a small-screen Terminator, but her most ardent fans/fanboys remember the S.A. native best as River Tam in the short-lived series “Firefly.” This year marks the 10th anniversary of Joss Whedon's brilliant but cancelled series, which combined flourishes of the Old West with futuristic sci-fi. See what made Glau such a standout with all 14 episodes in one collection.

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition” ($29.98 Blu-ray)

Steven Spielberg's heart-warming classic about an abandoned alien and his young human friend made a worldwide star out of San Antonio's Henry Thomas. Now “E.T.” returns in all its otherworldly glory. The 30th anniversary Blu-ray edition has been digitally re-mastered from high-resolution 35mm original film, with original scenes intact (so long, walkie-talkies!), plus deleted scenes.

“A Song of Ice and Fire” limited edition prints by John Picacio ($125 each, john-picacio.myshopify.com)

San Antonio artist John Picacio won the prestigious Hugo Award largely for his calendar art based on George R. R. Martin's “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy books, which inspired the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones.” Now you can own a museum-quality print of that sword-wielding, spell-binding imagery — each signed by Picacio and limited to just 100 copies.